Control systems for a mobile vehicle need to accurately detect when the mobile vehicle is on a collision course with an object. For example, the mobile vehicle may be an unmanned, robotic cleaning machine. Prior art robotic cleaning machines have problems detecting objects directly ahead of the cleaning machine because sensors suites mounted on known cleaning machines don't accurately detect the presence of an object directly ahead of the left forward and the right forward edges of the cleaning machine. Further, prior art cleaning machines have a limited situational awareness because the sensor suites do not always provide measurements sufficient to accurately determine an object's location ahead of the cleaning machine. Other problems with prior art cleaning machines include that individual sensors cannot begin to listen for a return until the transmit waveform from the sensor is completely transmitted (known as blind range) so that is it difficult to detect objects close to the cleaning machines.
As such, there is a need for an improved sonar suite and control system for the mobile vehicle, which improves the mobile vehicle's detection of the objects directly ahead of the mobile vehicle left and right forward edges, and provides other advantages over prior art cleaning machines such as reduced interference between sensors. Still other needs include improved transmitted beam patterns so that the mobile vehicle accurately detects the distance between the cleaning machine and structures it approaches, i.e., walls, and/or objects located directly in front the mobile vehicle and at the periphery of the sides of the mobile vehicle.